Belemnite

Pathology

Belemnite guards have sometimes been found with fractures with signs of healing. These have been interpreted in the past as evidence of digging, with belemnites using their guard to dig up prey on the seafloor; belemnites are now generally interpreted to have been open ocean predators. A deformed, zigzag-like guard of a Gonioteuthis was likely the result of a failed predation attempt. Two other Gonioteuthis guard specimens exhibit a double-pointed tip, probably stemming from some traumatic event. One belemnite guard also presents a double-pointed tip, with one of the points projecting higher than the other, probably a sign of an infection or settlement of a parasite. A Neoclavibelus guard features a large growth on the side likely stemming from a parasitic infection. A Hibolithes guard shows a large ovoid bubble near the base, likely deriving from a parasitic cyst. A Goniocamax guard has several blister-like formations, thought to have come from a polychaete endoparasitic infection.